need some advice on tank setup

[ttopmustanggt88]

i just got a 280 gallon tank with stand this tank is predrilled with 4 1.5" holes two on each end of the tank in the center of the bottom. where should i start. i have a 30 gallon and a 55 gallon i could use for a sump but not sure exactly how to do this. like what size pump would i need to run and do i have one intake at each end and one return at each end or have one end both intakes and one end both returns. thanks and sorry for the long post

 

[Andyvette]

i just got a 280 gallon tank with stand this tank is predrilled with 4 1.5" holes two on each end of the tank in the center of the bottom. where should i start. i have a 30 gallon and a 55 gallon i could use for a sump but not sure exactly how to do this. like what size pump would i need to run and do i have one intake at each end and one return at each end or have one end both intakes and one end both returns. thanks and sorry for the long post

I assume you meant to put this in saltwater.....?

 

[ttopmustanggt88]

nope its gonna be a freshwater tank with african cichlids.

 

[greenmaji]

I personaly feel the 55 gallon is barly big enough to be a sump to a 280gallon tank..

but If thats what you plan on using it should work..

are you going to be using the sump as the primary filteration?
what type of filteration are you going to be using in the sump? natural or say wet/dry?
are you trying to get information as to the proper cycles per hour (I feel like that's debatable)?
or were you looking for recomended pumps for you setup or just brands?

sorry your question seemed a little vague to me. :?

 

[ttopmustanggt88]

55 gallon is the biggest i have on hand and im gonna have a very light fish load till i can get a bigger sump no big hurry and i recalculated the tank and its 235gallons w/o rocks and everything else so not quite as big as i first thought. yes this sump will be my primary filteration. i was planning on going with filter floss then about 6 or 7 gallons of bio balls or some other bio media more floss under that and then just back to main tank. im really wondering how much flow two 1 inch over flows will produce i wanna get the biggest pump i need but not over do it and suck my sump dry or have to slow down pump somehow. im figuring on 5-7 cycles per hour should be enough?? im really interested in what pump for my setup and brands im new to the big pump thing and just need some info. i was thinking of a mag drive 18. that flows 1800 gph @ 0feet im pumping up about 5 feet that should cut that down to about 1200 and thought that would be plenty of turnover yet not run my sump dry. thank you for any help. one more question i had. what if i didnt use overflows in my main tank and just used the home made durso standpipes and put them at the exact same level as each other to control the level?? would this work or do you have to have a overflow box then the stand pipes in them?? i just dont see why they would work without the box just at the correct height for the desired water level.

 

[greenmaji]

Your working with what is normaly a SW setup.. so the calculators at Reef sites will answer your plumbing questions no problem.

I would consider a sump with fast growing plants but with the size diffence it might just be best to go with a wet/dry plan like you've desisided on already.

http://reefcentral.com/calc/drain.php
to use this calculator.. take your desired amount of flow and devide it by how many physical drains you have.. it will tell you how big a pipe is recomended for that amount of flow.. HTH
http://reefcentral.com/calc/hlc2.php

I would normaly say that 5 cycles per hour would be fine with a normal bio-load.. but if your planning on some big polluters you might want to up to double or triple that number. (wich might not be an option with a set amount of overflow pluming)

I hope this helps.

 

[ttopmustanggt88]

helps alot thanks. i think i got a grip on whats goin on here i just need a few little tidbits of info just like you have just gave me thanks again. ill get some pics of it up when its up and running.